BroadVision Marketing Blog

To succeed in business today, you need more than just a good website. You need a smart marketing plan that keeps up with the latest trends in the digital world.

[This was previously published in September 2017 and has been updated and revised for 2023.]

Being a local business on the Internet means you want to be found by local prospects. And local Search Engine Optimization depends on strategic content.

But too many local businesses fail to understand the value of what is known as local SEO - and the part played in that by good content.

[This article was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated and revised.]

One of the most common challenges facing any business engaged in a digital marketing strategy is the need for inbound content marketing.

That means publishing valuable content that educates and engages your prospects. This type of content is critical for an effective inbound marketing strategy. And any business can do it!

Uncover the mysteries of search engine indexing and its impact on website ranking. Gain insights on how to boost your site's search engine visibility.

Everyone says you need their product or service. We get it. But in today's digital world there really is one thing your business needs: Digital Marketing.

Whether you undertake it yourself or hire a digital marketing service, marketing your business online is a necessity for most every business.

So, What Is Digital Marketing Exactly?

Every business needs to be seen and heard.

One of the most fundamental and basic requirements for any commercial endeavor, be that a simple lemonade stand or a multi-national services enterprise, is attention. Potential customers or clients must take notice of you.

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”

One could reasonably ask, "If you have a business and no one knows, does it exist?"  

In the days prior to April 30, 1993, there was no Internet, no World Wide Web, no marketing "online" as we often refer to it today. There was only advertising, public relations, and publicity. And word of mouth, of course.

Without any of these platforms promoting the existence of your business, it would not exist for all practical purposes.

Today is no different.

Almost everyone goes to the Internet - usually with their cell phones - to search, to shop, and to find businesses. If your business is never seen online then it may as well not exist. Which is why digital marketing is so essential to your business.

The purpose for teams is to combine a group of members to work together to accomplish certain goals that cannot be achieved effectively by an individual. Do you wonder why I keep repeating this? It’s because sometimes teams can get off-track like an elementary school student who starts reading an encyclopedia entry for a class and ends up following a cow path far from the subject because he loses focus.

A Sample Marketing Plan for an Inbound Marketing Strategy

A sample marketing plan for Inbound Marketing will give you one of the most powerful and most cost-effective approaches to marketing. Compared to traditional marketing methods, inbound consistently outperforms and typically costs far less.

A few stats from Hubspot illustrate this fact:

• 57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog. 
• 42% of businesses have acquired a customer through Twitter. 
• 57% of companies have acquired a customer through LinkedIn.
• 48% of companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
• Inbound marketing costs 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing.

Having said that, it is important to keep in mind that inbound marketing, while having a number of consistent components and tactics, is not a "cookie-cutter" approach to marketing either. Each strategy and subsequent plan is unique to each user.

Your Company Is Different - Just Like Everyone Else

Your business is like no other. Really. Your goals, your challenges, your offerings - they are all unique to you and your business. Even if you think you are simply a commodity. And because your business is unique, your marketing plan shouldn't be generic either.

We can offer a sample marketing plan, but the goal is to adapt it, modify it, make it your own. What might work well for your competitor across town may not be exactly the plan that will be most effective for you. Your marketing strategy should be crafted with your vision, your objectives, and your customers in mind.

Now that we've established that not all businesses are the same, nor are all effective marketing plans, let's look at a generic approach to inbound marketing.

A Sample Inbound Marketing Plan Checklist

A typical inbound marketing plan will consist of the following steps:

Digital marketing isn't really an option in today's world. If your business can't be found online, your business may as well not exist.

Think that's an exaggeration or a bit of journalistic hype? Think again.

Digital Marketing for Everyone - The New Normal

Consider your own consumer behavior. How do you look for a service or a product? The statistics tell us that you most likely use your mobile phone to search. 

When you find a likely prospect, what do you do next? Read reviews? Count how many there are and how well they're rated? Do you take time to check out their competition to see how they compare?

And here's what you most likely don't do:

• Look for a business in your local Yellow Pages
• Jot down an address or phone number you saw on a billboard
• Keep a stack of old business cards from service providers you used before

While some people may still do some of these things, most people in most situations go online. For almost everything. Which means if they can't find your business online easily and quickly, you don't exist as far as they are concerned.

IEvery business owner knows the importance of market segmentation: getting the most out of every marketing dollar depends on identifying and addressing the core needs of customers

Updated Dec. 2023

Content marketing has been a powerful force in the realm of digital marketing for decades. And in 2023 it has shown to be more effective than ever before.

Digital marketing incorporates a wide variety of tactics and strategies, but content marketing is not only a mainstay strategy, it is core component of successful digital marketing practices.